You are in the right place... Float Along is a bulletin page that will keep you up-to-date between issues of the Float About newsletter. Bookmark this page for updates and time sensitive information. So what happened to all of the info that was here? It was edited and enhanced to become issue #74. Now that issue #74 posted, all incoming news will be gathered on this page until it's time to compose issue #75. And so it goes from newsletter to newsletter.

Sun/June 9, 2013 @ 12:30am (EST)
The June Lottery and newsletter are in-the-works... I promise! My checkbook ran dry so I opted to work for friends for four days to generate some quick cash. Working an estate sale was both fun and interesting. Now that it is over, things are back on track. It was my intention to post issue #75 of Float About by mid-May. Missed my deadline by a mile. My new advanced photo editing software is amazing, unfortunately my old computer is under powered. The solution would be a new computer with a super processor. Since that is not going to happen in the immediate future, editing will run slow, but steady. I desperately want to post pens before it gets too hot to ship. I need a minimum of another two weeks to do this right.

In the meantime, Father's Day will come and go so I wanted to take a minute to send my best to all of the fathers in floaty land. Wishing you a special day with family and friends. Happy Father's Day!!

Fri/April 26, 2013 @ 12:301am (EST)
Holger Benedikt, in Germany... has some Sinupret twist n click pens for trade. Yes, they were manufactured by Eskesen. The barrel is silver colored and the clip is chrome. This is a very clever pharmaceutical promo pen. If you are interested, you can contact Holger here... bene1959@live.de.

Annie Ross sent an email... earlier this evening. She thought I might enjoy this video. I did! I think you will too. The folks at Thompson-Creative.com have a wicked sense of humor. http://thompson-creative.com/2013/04/?cat=12. Their float pen design is simple, but clever. Can't be 100% sure, but the silver barrel, chrome clip tell me it is likely an Eskesen. Thanks to Annie for the entertaining clip and access to a unique ad pen.

Marisa Barna, in Pittsburgh... had a few links to share. She discovered this odd Bonnie Prince Billy float pen from WhyLouisville.com. Marisa confirmed it is an Eskesen design. Marisa also uncovered a website that is offering wrapping paper and gift cards in a float pen motif! You can see both, and many more printed graphic items here: http://www.lafamiliagreen.com/. Great finds Marisa! Thanks.

At the tail end of March, Beverly Broadstone forwarded... this link for the Carnegie Hall pen. “I purchased a new Carnegie Hall design through Amazon. You will find the listing here: http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Hall-Floaty-Pen/. It is priced at $5. I like the clean simple design of this one.” Others will appreciate the simplicity and crispness as well. Thank you Beverly!

April 11th Beverly added... this new Sanrio suntanned Hello Kitty pen. “My sister, Edna, found it at a Sanrio store, but didn't pick it up for me because it was $8.95!” Beverly is going to visit her local Sanrio store to make her purchase and avoid paying shipping and handling. For those, like me, that do not have Sanrio store nearby, Beverly located the pen on Sanrio's website. Sadly, Sanrio continues to turn to China for manufacturing. If interested... order here http://www.sanrio.com/product/hello_kitty_float_ballpoint_pen_suntan/.

Follow-Up to Issue #74
Shelley, in California intended to purchase... the Mini-Cooper pens that were posted in Issue #74. She decided to cancel the order when the shipping rates were revealed. The s/h was going to exceed the cost of the pens x 2. I suggested she try this link instead... www.outmotoring.com. Shelley was charged $2.92 for s/h. Kim Svendsen provided the alternative link and source. Thanks Kim!

Craig Wilson has supplied a link... to his jitter penguins. See them dance here... http://home.comcast.net/~floatnik/site/?/page/jittergram_gif/.

Nancy Nerenberg, at FloatArt... is responsible for the She & Him pen featured in issue #74. I neglected to mention that earlier. Wanted to give Nancy credit for this sweet design.

Pens Out and About
There has been a lot of speculation... regarding the disappearance of float pens from Disney parks and stores. When they first vanished, I asked a staff member at Eskesen about it. Paraphrased response... “Disney has simply chosen a new direction. In an effort to keep things fresh, they are exploring other product lines.” That made sense. It's important to shake things up. However, that was YEARS ago. Every collector that has visited a park since has inquired about the availability of float pens. Up until now, there hasn't been an explanation.

A veteran collector recently visited Epcot at DisneyWorld. She overheard the store manager speaking to a clerk. The collector waited to approach the manager with the BIG question. “Why are float pens no longer sold at Disney parks and stores?” The manager provided a surprising reason. She related an incident that prompted a complaint from a mother. The mother claimed her child had chewed into the pen and released the liquid. Due to liability issues, the pens were then banned from all Disney parks and stores. Does that sound reasonable to you? Our fellow collector thought it quite absurd. After doing a quick visual scan of the store she pointed out the glass snowglobes displayed on a shelf. There were many items that would be dangerous to an unsupervised child, including any kind of pen or pencil. Yet many such items were offered for sale. “Really?! Float pens are a liability issue?!”. The manager refused to stray from her story.

For the collector it was an absolutely mind blowing experience. Personally, I do not believe the story holds water, or in this case, oil. When I started selling float pens I was assured the oil in float pens had been subjected to stringent independent testing and deemed harmless, even if swallowed. The oil in float pens is definitely non-toxic. Surely the results of these tests were revealed to Disney before they considered their first purchase decades ago. The purpose of such testing is to assure clients the product is safe! I don't know why Disney lost interest in float pens, but this excuse is ridiculous. If Disney were truly that paranoid about liability, their store shelves would be empty, their parks would be closed. So the question remains.... what really happened?

Collectors News
February 21 Miranda Wittebol had visitors... from London. Russell and Susan Eisen visited Amsterdam. That is Miranda's territory, so the couple arranged to meet at Miranda's house. Photos and the story of their encounter have been posted http://www.flickr.com/photos/eisen/8524465988/. March 1st, Miranda celebrated her birthday. She's having a blast exploring her new Samsung Galaxy Tablet. So far she is quite impressed with the quality and features. Great time to be Miranda!

Mike R asked if there is a... list of pens that represented cartoon characters from the 60's? I am unaware of any such list, but between us, we could pull one together. This is off the top of my head: Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Popeye, Speed Racer, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Roadrunner & Coyote, Sylvester & Tweety, Taz, The Jetsons, Flintstones and Johnny Quest.

Wed/March 20, 2013 @ 12:30am
Beverly Broadstone had a string... of designs to add to the cartoon list... Scooby Doo (1969), Thunderbirds (technically, Marionettes; 1965), Archie, Gumby (technically, Claymation), Porky Pig, Pepe Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, and Woody Woodpecker. Whew... that was a fine contribution. So, did we forget any?